Column: The six biggest ways wine will change in 2024
As I peer in my crystal glass to puzzle out where the wine world is going next, I see one constant: climate change. It challenged winemakers in 2023, the hottest year in history, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
Wildfires in Greece; massive heat and drought in Spain; and floods, frost, and hail elsewhere in Europe all took their toll last year, resulting in one of the smallest harvests ever. But Napa, subject to wildfires and heat waves in the recent past, escaped with one of the best vintages ever. You could argue that global warming has been good for the UK, as well as fledgling vineyard efforts in Norway and Sweden—places where, in the past, it would have been too cold and rainy to ripen grapes sufficiently. All of this makes its impact very hard to predict for the coming year.
But there’s other big news in the wine world for 2024. Here are the six major trends I’m watching:
— You’ll be drinking more sauvignon blanc. Taste preferences are shifting: More than half the wine consumed globally, as of 2021, was either white or rosé. US drinkers are leading the way with whites, according to data from the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV). Now, top regions known for reds, such as Italy’s Mt. Etna and the Rhône Valley, are putting more emphasis on their less well-known whites.